21 votes

Eminem - Houdini (2024)

11 comments

  1. [6]
    Wolf_359
    Link
    I really wish he would do more songs using his old flow. His flow has been pretty choppy and too focused on wordplay for a long time. His rhymes are brilliant, he's clearly the Shakespeare of our...

    I really wish he would do more songs using his old flow. His flow has been pretty choppy and too focused on wordplay for a long time. His rhymes are brilliant, he's clearly the Shakespeare of our time, but the rhyme schemes are less pleasing to the ear than his old style.

    18 votes
    1. [4]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Yeah, I'm a huge fan of his old flow, and generally way more comedic lyrics too. His newer stuff is still great from a lyrical perspective, and is deeper in terms of its meaning, but I don't enjoy...

      Yeah, I'm a huge fan of his old flow, and generally way more comedic lyrics too. His newer stuff is still great from a lyrical perspective, and is deeper in terms of its meaning, but I don't enjoy listening to it nearly as much as his old stuff. And that's not just the nostalgia talking. The beats and flow of his old stuff was simply way more pleasing to listen to. So I really hope this is a genuine return to the Shady persona. The world could do with more OG Shady, and some more levity.

      p.s. My favorite track of his isn't even from one of his own albums. It's Any Man, from Soundbombing II (the best hip-hop compilation album of all-time, IMO).

      11 votes
      1. [3]
        vicvision
        Link Parent
        What a blast from the past! Thank you for unlocking that memory for me. Underground hip hop compilation albums were a bit of a thing back in the 90s. I loved Lyricist Lounge and New York State of...

        What a blast from the past! Thank you for unlocking that memory for me. Underground hip hop compilation albums were a bit of a thing back in the 90s. I loved Lyricist Lounge and New York State of Rhyme. I'm more familiar with the first Soundbombing album but heard II as well, strange but I don't remember that Em track on that album! It's very Slim Shady and well done especially given it's age. I also love hearing El-P in Company Flow.

        Eminem obviously has many bangers but my favourite is probably Lucky You or his feature on Royce Da 5'9" 's Caterpillar

        3 votes
        1. cfabbro
          Link Parent
          Lyricist Lounge I and II were awesome too. It's a damn shame that labels don't produce compilation albums like they used to, and that Rawkus is defunct. They put out so much amazing shit in the...

          Lyricist Lounge I and II were awesome too. It's a damn shame that labels don't produce compilation albums like they used to, and that Rawkus is defunct. They put out so much amazing shit in the 90s and 2000s, and I got introduced to so many amazing artists thanks to them. :(

          3 votes
        2. 0x29A
          Link Parent
          One of my favorite (admittedly semi-recently discovered) tracks from Vol I was C.I.A. (Criminals in Action) - Zack de la Rocha, KRS-One and The Last Emperor. I've been meaning to dig further into...

          One of my favorite (admittedly semi-recently discovered) tracks from Vol I was C.I.A. (Criminals in Action) - Zack de la Rocha, KRS-One and The Last Emperor. I've been meaning to dig further into Vol I and II when I have time.

          2 votes
    2. JCPhoenix
      Link Parent
      Yeah, I pretty much only listen to the "Marshall Mathers LP" and "The Eminem Show" albums. And also the D12 album, "Devil's Night." There are a few songs here and there that I like from his later...

      Yeah, I pretty much only listen to the "Marshall Mathers LP" and "The Eminem Show" albums. And also the D12 album, "Devil's Night." There are a few songs here and there that I like from his later albums, but I've never listened to the latter ones in their entirety. Probably because the 1-3 main songs from those latter albums never hooked me in the same way as his older stuff. Like, I enjoy "Rap God," it's impressive at a technical level, but that's not something you can bop to.

      And maybe, just maybe, it could also be my tasted eventually changed. I started listening to Eminem in like 2001, as a 14yo. Either way, it's nice to hear Shady's back. Back again. Don't worry, I already told a friend.

      2 votes
  2. [2]
    ogre
    Link
    I think Eminem spends more time talking about being offensive than actually being offensive these days. There’s nothing wrong with not being offensive, but frequently acting like he’s actively...

    I think Eminem spends more time talking about being offensive than actually being offensive these days. There’s nothing wrong with not being offensive, but frequently acting like he’s actively being cancelled feels inauthentic. That said, I love the abracadabra sample.

    16 votes
    1. widedub
      Link Parent
      I'm a fan of this one and suspect Ill listen to it a lot this summer but, as far as the lyrical content, I have to agree. Any punches feel pulled and the "cancelled" personality feels kinda just...

      I'm a fan of this one and suspect Ill listen to it a lot this summer but, as far as the lyrical content, I have to agree. Any punches feel pulled and the "cancelled" personality feels kinda just required to market Shady

      The main draw on this one feels like the nostalgia/evolution of the music video not the lyrics themself. The call back to multiple songs and videos, the merging of Shady and Old Man Eminem and even Pete Davidson's cameo are the things that are sticking with me on this one. I may regret this comment if the album comes out and he goes scorched earth but, if this is the extent of it, Ill still hammer the hell out of it and enjoy it. I liked the electrician/technician/light work line the best and hope to see more of that on the album

      8 votes
  3. knocklessmonster
    Link
    I had a comment that felt too pseudo-intellectual, but as what may be described as a casual Eminem enjoyer, this was a trip to watch and hear. I think it's interesting to explore what Slim Shady...

    I had a comment that felt too pseudo-intellectual, but as what may be described as a casual Eminem enjoyer, this was a trip to watch and hear. I think it's interesting to explore what Slim Shady would think from his edgy/reactionary perspective (additional context here. Granted any jokes/punches don't parallel any offensive material Eminem would've put out in Slim Shady EP era material, but it's an interesting perspective in where he is currently as an artist attempting to explore this persona.

    13 votes
  4. 0x29A
    Link
    Maybe I'm just old. I wanted to like this but this shtick/persona just doesn't work for me anymore. It definitely did at one point. There's some quality amusing wordplay but the jokes themselves...

    Maybe I'm just old. I wanted to like this but this shtick/persona just doesn't work for me anymore. It definitely did at one point. There's some quality amusing wordplay but the jokes themselves are really low-hanging fruit, fan-service callbacks, and eyeroll-y social commentary- and even if he doesn't believe any of what he says because it's in character or whatever, it's the cheap junkfood comedy that I prefer comedians avoid too. I know it's the point of the whole Shady thing but I think we give it too much credit sometimes.

    Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon at this point, I don't know. I was on board at first, but the track really lost me the more it went on.

    Honestly, at this point, I don't listen to Eminem much anymore, but if I do revisit tracks, they're typically the serious ones- there's just something way more enjoyable for me personally when the song is full of passion and heart, whether sappy or angry or whatever. I suppose a couple of his more humorous tracks from the past could still get me on board, but more out of nostalgia than anything concrete

    11 votes